Modernizing 'Cinderella' took more than magic

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Disney princesses are a billion-dollar business, but the idea of a hapless maiden saved by a prince? That's about as dusty as a storyline gets in 2015.

The live-action Cinderella arrives in theaters Friday, outfitted with a gutsy young orphan, Ella (Lily James). But her newly fashioned evil stepmother (Cate Blanchett) is the first to admit that the original telling wasn't quite her cup of tea.